Chapter 5

3 weeks had passed since Rob had overheard Shane and the others talking. Both the Alliance and the WWF wrere in Kentucy getting ready for RAW. Tonight, Rob had a singles match against Jeff which he was not looking forward to participating in.

For the past few weeks he had been debating with himself about telling Jeff what he overheard, each time he thought he had a chance to speak to the Rainbow Haired Warrior something or someone got in his way.

Fuck was the word that had basically been living in Rob Van Dam's head since this whole incident began.

You just had to stand and listen didn't you? You could just have walked away but someone's nose got the better of him, didn't it? Rob grimaced as his conscience wasn't helping matters much either.

"Shit!" He yelled in frustration, he was alone in the mens locker room. Most of the guys were at catering.

Sitting down on the bench he ran a tired hand down his face. Shane's words echoed in his mind: 'Then I'll just have to take her by force then won't I?'

Rob knew that if he could somehow get round to talking to Jeff then he might gain the other man's trust which meant that he could have someone to back him up if he went to speak to Dwayne and Trish.

"I have to tell him...Trish and Dwayne are in danger, Shane hasn't acted yet but there's no telling when and where he'll strike." Rob said aloud.

He knew what he had to do. It was now or never. He had to tell Jeff...tonight.

"Hey, the guys are all in Taker's locker room, I think Matt said something about a meeting." Amy shook her head as she along with Trish were in the womens locker room. "So I figure that gives us plenty of time to get ready before our match tonight, you excited?" Amy finished with a grin as she sat beside her blonde friend.

"Hell yeah!" Trish beamed at her. "You and me along with Jackie against Barbie 1 and 2 and that beast!"

"Jazz is a bit of a beast isn't she? Don't worry you will totally kick her ass and then win the title off her." Amy replied confidently.

"Damn right girl, and then I will take the belt from you." Jackie Moore teased as she entered the locker room.

"Hey Jackie." Both girls greeted as she handed them some water she brought with her from catering.

"I had to practically fight my way through those scrumbags to get these." Jackie shuddered as she walked over to her bag and pulled out her gear.

"Rather you than me." Trish admitted. "Least they know not to mess with you!" She giggled.

Jackie was one of the toughest Divas around and Trish knew that even though she was a woman, guys knew not to mess with her.

Jackie just laughed along with her. "Naturally." "Hey, I'm gonna hit the shower to get rid of that Alliance stink, I brought those straighting irons just like you asked." She looked at Amy when she said the last part.

"Thank you!" Amy cried leaping up and taking them from the bag. She had broke hers 2 weeks ago and Jackie promised to bring her ones with her.

"Trish keep an eye on her, I would like to take them back home with me!" Jackie teased as she went for a shower.

"Okay, I'm gonna quickly run these through my hair then I'll help you with yours." Amy announced as she turned to the mirror and began fixing her hair.

"It's cool, I'm gonna stick to the natural waves..." Trish began but was cut off by a smirking Amy.

"Is that because a certain someone happens to like your hair like that?" Amy teased looking at her now blushing friend through the mirror.

"No!" Trish protested but her face said otherwise. "I just happen to fancy a change is all!"

"Right and the Easter Bunny is real!" Amy replied as she got back to her hair.

Trish just grinned and shook her head at her friend as she changed into her ring gear.

"Remember if any strange man offers you something, you just say no!" Matt yelled at his brother as he made his way back to their own locker room. Jeff gave him the finger and headed towards the vending machines.

Taker's meeting had ended but the message was the same as always: Be on your guard. He had his suspicions which he voiced to the group, that Shane was up to something and that knowing Shane you would find out when it was too late.

Dumb asshole, always tryin' to make me look stupid! Jeff grumbled to himself as he shoved his money into the machine.

He scanned the items and his eyes lit up when he noticed there were still skittles left. Happily he punched the code in and waited for his 'prize' to fall to the bottom of the machine.

"Skittles huh? Very nutrious." A voice said from behind him, making the purple and blue haired man jump about ten feet in the air.

He spun around and his eyes narrowed when he came face to face with none other than Rob Van Dam.

"What the hell do you want?" Jeff practically hissed at him.

Okay, so not a fan of the humour huh? "Easy Jeff, I'm not gonna pull anything on you, I just wanted to talk..." Rob began trying to get on his good side.

Jeff snorted and turned away from him to retrieve his candy. "That's a new one, so tell me, what exactly did you hope to gain from this false friendly bullshit?" Jeff turned back to the other man whose face remanined neutral.

Rob sighed, this wasn't going as well as he hoped but it was expected. "Jeff, I'm not trying to cause a fight, I came here hoping to talk to you before our match becuase I recently found out some information that could potentially hurt one of your friends." Rob replied seriously.

Jeff's ears pricked up at the serious tone and also the added emphasis on 'potentially'. "How do I know you're not lying?" Jeff replied coolly, crossing his arms.

At least he didn't call you an outright liar or worse beat your ass...so far so good. "I don't expect you to fully believe me, its your choice to do that but I would hope you would agree to listen to me." Rob said honestly.

Both men looked around to see if anyone was obsevering them: the hallway was dead.

Jeff remained silent for a few minutes; he was mentally summing up the situation. He wanted nothing more than to tell the other man to 'Go to Hell' but there was something in the tone and not to mention his eyes that made Jeff uncomfortable: he could be telling the truth.

"If this is a set up, I swear to God Rob-" Jeff muttered, finally giving in.

Rob supressed a smile. Score for the Van Daminator! "This has nothing to do with the Alliance, this is my own personal business, I swear." Rob replied truthfully.

Jeff nodded. "Where and when do you want to meet?"

Rob was thoughtful for a moment. They couldn't talk here, it was far too risky, even this meeting in the hall was putting them at risk. "I noticed a small, coffee shop near the arena, its two blocks down. It will be out of the way and I don't imagine anyone going there...think it's a 24 hour place..." Rob trailed off.

Jeff had seen it as they drove in...

"Eeeew I wouldn't want to drink out of there!" Amy could keep the disgust out of her voice as they passed a small run down looking coffee shop.

"Aw ww Ames!" Matt teased as they stopped at a red light just outside the shop. "It may look run down but I bet that's what gives it its character!"

Amy shuddered as she saw a truck driver raise his cup at her and flash her a grin – it would have been described as toothy, had he not been missing most of his teeth!

"I don't care, I just wish these stupid lights would change!" Amy moaned.

Jeff grinned at her. "I think you should wave back at him,it's only polite."

Amy glared at him. Matt grinned and turned to her. "Jeffro's right, didn't your momma teach you any manners?" Matt drawled, his accent thick.

Jeff chuckled at his brother, Amy remained unamused. "Fine! I'll do it then Miss Rude Ass!" Jeff turned to the man and before Amy could say or do anything he smiled at the old man and waved.

"JEFF!" Amy yelled as she couldn't believe he done that. The lights changed and the two brothers dissolved into laughter.

"That's not funny! What if he recognises us? Huh? I bet you won't be laughing when he corners you outside after the show and does God only knows what with you!" Amy replied in annoyance as she stared in front of her.

Matt cleared his throat as he turned into the arena's parking lot. "Ames, we're sorry...aren't we Jeff?"

Jeff tried his hardest but couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "Oh, yeah, very sorry!"

Matt tried to keep cool but couldn't do it. Again both brothers fell into fits of laughter as he managed to find a space.

"Oh ha, fucking ha." Amy muttered as she unfastened her seat belt. She smirked, however, at a now frowning Matt as she suddenly realised how she could get one over on her boyfriend.

"I'm so glad this amuses you two...I hope you keep laughing when you're on your own tonight." She said as she opened her door.

Jeff bit his lip as he watched his brother's eyes widen. Matt fumbled to get out as Amy had just slammed her door shut.

"Baby! Come on! Ames it was a joke, I love you!" Matt simpered trying to get on her good side.

"Uh, Jeff...you still there?" Rob waved his hands to try and get the other man's attention. He had zoned out for a while.

Jeff snapped back to reality. "Huh? Sorry, I know the place you mean, the one with the green neon 24 hour sign, right?"

Rob smiled slightly. "Yeah that's the one, look we should meet there about midnight, that way no one should suspect anything."

Jeff nodded. "Sounds good to me, but I mean it, if this is one of your mind games..."

Rob held his hands up in innoncence. "I mean it when I give you my word but I can understand your concerns."

"What in the hell is going on here?" A voice called out startling both men.

Shit! Rob froze when he saw Tommy Dreamer and Stevie Richards walking towards them.

Jeff shot him a look. Hey, I didn't ask them to come here! Rob stared back at him.

"I'll get rid of them but you gotta help me out." He said through gritted teeth.

"This asshole bothering you Rob?" Stevie spoke up for the first time, his eyes narrowing at Jeff.

"No, it's alright Stevie, Jeff was just leaving, weren't ya?" Rob turned to Jeff, his tone gone from friendliness to full out coldness.

Jeff stared at him, he knew Rob hadn't asked them to come but he would wait until after their meeting before he lost any suspicions. "You remember what I said Rob!" Jeff got into character, getting right into his face.

Both Stevie and Tommy attempted to get closer. "It's cool guys, Hardy won't try anything...if he's smart he'll just walk away." Rob stated added a subtle emphasis on the last part.

The last thing they both needed was a full out brawl to take place.

"Jeff? Hey what's going on here!" Matt Hardy appeared frowning at the scene.

Oh this is just fucking fantastic! Jeff thought. "It's fine Matt, I'm just leaving, It's just you and me Van Dam." He shot Tommy and Stevie a look. "They won't be there to help you!" Jeff added before pushing past Rob and heading towards his stunned brother.

"I'll fill you in when we get back...don't look at them." Jeff instructed as he grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him back with him.

Rob who watched them walk away smirked. Maybe I was wrong about him.

"You okay man?" Tommy asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

Rob looked at his hand then smiled at his friend. "I'm alright, it was just Hardy trying to bullshit me before our match." He shrugged. "You know, the usual."

Tommy nodded. "We were getting worried, you know what's its like. Things are heating up around here." The older man replied as they made their way back to their locker room.

Oh don't I know it Tommy boy, don't I know it.

"You wanna tell us what that really was all about back there?" Matt asked folding his arms as he stared at his brother. He didn't know why but somehow he was having a hard time believing his brother's account of what happened back there.

They were back in the Hardyz locker room. Amy and Trish who were now dressed in their ring attires joined him. Amy stood at Matt's other side, her arms folded in the same manner while Trish was sitting beside him, her arm around his shoulder's her face full of concern.

"It was nothing! How many times Matt! Just his usual cocky asshole comments." Jeff dismissed his brother's suspicions.

Amy looked at Matt, he was as stubborn as anything. "Matt, Jeff is probably right, I mean you know what RVD is like."

"I still think he's hiding something from us." Matt relented turning to Amy.

Jeff just stared at them, his face giving nothing away. Sure he was hiding the fact he agreed to meet up with his so called 'Mortal Enemy' but he wasn't going to announce that just yet.

"Jeff, you can talk to us, we won't judge you." Trish replied gently as she rubbed his shoulder. God knows I won't. The blonde woman supressed a shudder as the thought of Shane McMahon crossed her mind once more.

Jeff smiled at Trish and gently squeezed her hand. He then turned to his brother and friend and smiled sadly at them.

"Look, I went to the vending machines and while I was there, I bumped into Rob and you know what happens you end up trading insults and then those two idiots appeared and then you came. I was about to walk away before you or Dreamer and his lacky showed up. You think I'm that dumb that I would get into a 3 on 1 fight?" Jeff replied.

Matt looked at Amy who grinned. "Is that a trick question?"

Jeff playfully glared back at her. "Aww is that payback for earlier?"

Matt tried to keep up his facade but couldn't help but smile at his brother's comment. "Alright, I believe you! I just wish you would learn to ignore him." He playfully scolded his brother.

"Duly noted." Jeff grinned back at his brother.

Trish looked at him and shook his head. She then turned her attention to Amy and frowned at her.

"Is he talking about that whole trucker incident?" Amy's eyes widened while Trish just shook her head at her friend.

"I can't believe you didn't wave back at him...that's just mean!" Trish replied giggiling.

Amy glared at Matt who looked at the ground so she couldn't see him laugh. Jeff chuckled and he and Trish high fived.

"You're all going to Hell!" She snarled at them before charging out.

"Oh come on! Amy! Ames come back!" Matt followed trying to calm her down.

Later that night RAW was in full swing. The show opened with a singles match featuring the Alliance's D-Von versus the WWF's Essa Rios which the Alliance had won.

Now it was time for the girls match against Torrie, Stacy and Jazz.

"I should just have walked away..." Amy muttered as they stood at the Gorilla position. They would be introduced first.

Trish rolled her eyes at her friend and slung an arm around her. "Oh will you drop it! You stubborn assed bitch!"

Jackie grinned at them as she saw the red head give in. "I can't keep it up all night can I?"

"Okay so we stick to the plan, I'll take care of that blonde slut." Jackie said in full seriousness. She was referring to Stacy Keibler.

"Sounds good to me, I'm gonna make Torrie Wilson rue the day she tried to touch my man!" Amy growled.

Trish smiled at her. "I'm gonna show Jazz that she was wrong to talk smack about me!"

Last week on RAW, Jazz had came out to the ring and declared there was no way Trish would beat her.

"The look on her face was classic...she had no idea you were gonna attack her from behind. Dwayne would have been proud!" Amy said.

Trish blushed at the mention of his name. In the past few weeks they had been getting on better than before. Although she was still hurt with him she had to find a way to move on.

"Speaking of Dwayne, aren't you sharing a room with him tonight?" Jackie asked nonchalantly as they waited for the commerical break to end.

Amy's eyes widened and Trish got redder. "NO WAY! WHY AM I JUST HEARING ABOUT THIS?" Amy shrieked with glee.

"Because I knew you'd react like this!" Trish murmured her cheeks still red.

Jackie chuckled. "Ignore her babygirl, just make sure to be careful!" The older woman replied before giggling along with Amy.

"Gee, thanks guys..." Trish said shaking her head.

"Showtime! We'll talk about this later, don't think I'm gonna let you off easy." Amy replied as RAW was back on and her music hit first.

"Oh don't I know it." Trish sarcastically replied as she watched her friend disappear through the curtain and into the roaring crowd.

The three WWF Divas were in the ring, waiting for the others to come down.

"Bet you five bucks Stacy and Torrie are dressed in the same outfits." Trish whispered in Amy's ear.

"Nah, it ain't their thing, but I accept your challenge Mrs Johnson." Amy smirked.

Trish cursed under her breath at her friend as Stacy's music hit and the blonde came out dressed in a tight pink top and short black hot pants.

"Get ready to lose that five bucks Stratus." Amy singsonged.

Trish ignored her. Torrie's music hit and she smirked triumphantly when the other blonde appeared in the same outfit as Stacy, except her top was also black.

"Damn you." Amy cursed.

Jackie grinned at the two as Jazz's music hit. The three Alliance members stared at the three. Torrie and Stacy were doing their usual thing to wind up Amy. Trish focused her attention on Jazz who had the Womens title draped across her right shoulder.

The three women entered the ring and Earl Hebner – a senior and unbiased WWF referee- kept the two teams apart.

Jazz pointed to her title then at herself and mouthed. "Mine."

Trish smirked and played her at her own game. "Not for long." Trish mouthed back.

Enraged that she hadn't pissed the blonde woman off she shoved the belt to Earl. She quickly informed the two blondes that she would start this off.

"I take it you wanna start?" Jackie said to Trish who grinned and nodded.

"Kick her ass!" Amy cheered as the referee looked at two women then indicated for the bell to ring.

"Come on Trish!" Amy yelled as both women were currently trying to get to their feet. Both women had put in an impressive start with Trish quickly gaining the upper hand. However, Jazz had managed to counter a suplex that had her name on it which resulted in the current situation.

Both Torrie and Stacy had their hands outstretched, screeching to be tagged in.

Trish groaned as her back throbbed in pain. She looked out the corner of her eye, Jazz was slowly inching towards the two clones.

The crowd tried to gain momentum by clapping along with Jackie and Amy. Trish knew she had to get a move on. She was tired and had to regain some strength otherwise they would lose.

"Come on Trish...make the tag. I know you can do it!" Dwayne said as he watched the monitor from his locker room.

The sound of Jazz's hand slapping with one of the other girls hand seemed to release a surge of adrenaline within Trish. She didn't know how but she somehow managed to tag Jackie in who wasted no time in taking care of Torrie who had the misfortune of being tagged in.

"You okay?" Amy asked concerned as she helped Trish to her feet.

Trish winced but nodded as she leaned against the ropes. "I must have landed wrong, my back is killing me."

Amy nodded. "I'll make sure Jackie tags me in..." She turned her attention back to the match for a second. "But right now it looks as if she's got this taken care of."

Jackie let out a scream as she launched Torrie to the mat. Stacy stared wide eyed at the Diva who smirked at them. Jazz looked on pissed.

"Come on, show me what you got?" Jackie taunted the dark skinned woman.

Trish and Amy watched as Jazz got into the ring. Jackie and her locked up and Stacy rushed into to check on Torrie.

"Look, we have to help her, I'll take care of Stacy and you focus on Torrie." Amy instructed.

"That should be easy." Trish grimly replied as they got into the ring.

Meanwhile back in his locker room, Dwayne frowned. He knew something was wrong because Trish's face said it all when she tagged Jackie in. He looked at the clock on the wall, the match would be over soon. He figured he should go wait on her and make sure she was okay. He grinned at the thought.

Hey, it's only natural to be concerned...after all you are going to be rooming with her tonight.

"Here are you winners, the team of Jacqueline, Lita and Trish Stratus!" Lillian Garcia announced to the crowd.

Jackie beamed as she along with the other two women had their hands raised high. Torrie and Stacy were still sprawled outside the ring. Jazz was lying on the mat, groaning. Jackie had taken care of her and instead of pinning her, she told Amy to climb on the turnbuckle and hit her with a moonsault for the victory.

"Right let's go get you checked out." Amy told her friend who nodded.

The three walked out of the ring and together made their way up the ramp and to the back.

Trish's eyes widened when she saw him standing there. He was dressed in his ring attire with one of his shirts covering his body. Amy and Jackie just smiled.

"Fancy seeing you here." Amy drawled.

Dwayne just smiled at her. Trish narrowed her eyes at her friend. "What are you doing here?" She asked Dwayne trying to ignore the burning pain in her back.

"I was watching your match...great job out there by the way..." He began and she rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, I noticed you hurt yourself and naturally I wanted to see if you were alright." He replied softly.

Amy and Jackie looked at each other. "You know I just realised that I was supposed to meet Matt." Amy lied so she could leave them alone.

Jackie followed her idea. "I should really go get changed..." She began before she and the red head smirked and walked away.

Trish glared at their retreating backs before focusing on Dwayne again. "You really didn't need to wait on me. I'm fine, honestly it's just a little-" Trish tried to play off his concerns but this time the pain intensified and she cried out and doubled over.

"You're not fine! Will you stop being so stubborn for once in your life and let me help you?" Dwayne cried out in frustration as he got closer to her.

Trish couldn't speak, the pain was unreal. He took her silence as a yes and gently put his arms around her.

"I know this is going to hurt but I need you to stand for me okay?" He murmured in her ear.

Trish shivered at the feeling of his touch and the fact his warm breath tickled her ear. She nodded and slowly she managed to stand up straight.

"It really hurts Dwayne." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

It hurt him to see her like that. He nodded and kept his arms around her. "I know, do you think you'll be able to walk?" He asked her gently.

"I don't know, I think I might be able-" She began but he chuckled and cut her off.

"That was a stupid question, look if you want I'll carry you, we'll get to the EMT room faster." He replied.

"Any excuse to get your hands on me." Trish replied through the pain.

He chuckled once more and scooped her up into his arms. "You know you love it." He teased looking down at her.

Trish blushed as she caught his gaze. She looked away and tried to keep her voice as cool as possible.

"Yeah right, now hurry up before someone sees us."

Trish was reassured by the doctor that she hadn't done anything too serious to her back. She had just landed wrong and her back had twisted slightly and would be bruised. He told her to take some pain medication and he would discuss the possibility of a week or two off so she could heal properly.

RAW turned out to be quite an eventful show. Matt won against the newly turned Christian, Rob had pulled a close but successful victory against Jeff and Team WWF had managed to beat Team Alliance.

The Superstars had retired to the hotel for the night. Jeff had told his brother he would make his way back on his own seen as his match was after Matt's and plus he would probably want to make up with Amy.

He was alone in his hotel room so he was right, his brother was with Amy.

Jeff had changed into his street clothes: black jeans and a black t-shirt. He glanced at his watch it was just leaving quarter to 12. He took the key and slipped into his pocket. Grabbing his jacket he slipped it on before leaving the room and making his way to the cafe.

Rob sighed as he stared around the quiet room. Apart from a trucker sitting at the front with his loud, female companion he was the only one here.

A old tired looking waitress in a pink dress came over and poured fresh coffee into his cup. He looked up and smiled his thanks at her.

She just grunted and walked away.

What a lovely woman. Rob dryly thought as he leaned back in his seat. He was early but he didn't know if Jeff would also be early. He might not even turn up. The doubtful voice in his head spoke up again.

He was sitting in a booth at the back and was dressed in worn blue jeans and an old RVD shirt from his ECW days. He decided to wear his hair down, for a change, he thought he would attract less attention but it wouldn't have mattered in here.

He took a drink of his coffee and decided that if he was still sitting here in 10 minutes he would leave. The door opened and the sounds of the night filled the coffee shop for a second before the door closed again.

The woman and man stared at Jeff who nodded at them with a wry grin. He turned to the waitress and smiled at her as he leaned across the counter.

"Could I get a cup of coffee please...Joanne." He read her name tag and smiled sweetly at her.

Joanne grinned at him. "Comin' up sugah." She replied in her thick accent.

Jeff nodded then spotted Rob out the corner of his eye.

He looks different with his hair down, it suits him, really shows off his eyes. Wait! Did I really just think that? Jeff smiled at himself and shook his head as he waited on his coffee.

He thanked Joanne once more before making his way to where Rob was seated. Rob smiled slightly as he watched the younger Hardy slide across from him.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Rob said as Jeff took his jacket off.

"Nice hair." Was all Jeff said before taking a sip of his coffee.

Rob blushed slightly which made Jeff even more amused. "I gave you my word didn't I?" Jeff replied as he set his cup back down.

Rob managed to compose himself before folding his arms and leaning towards Jeff.

"Alright, all niceties aside, I told you earlier I had some important news for you." Rob said getting down to the real reason why he was here.

"Wow, talk about getting down to the point, pity you don't do that onscreen." Jeff remarked at his bluntness.

Rob smiled wryly. "Where would the fun be in that?"

"You got a point there." Jeff concluded before taking another drink. "So how about I shut up and you tell me why I'm here."

Rob smiled slightly then took a deep breath to compose himself. "This ain't gonna be pretty so don't say I didn't warn you."

Jeff frowned at the other man's statement. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Rob smiled sadly, he was still sitting with his arms crossed. His eyes never left Jeff's as he spoke.

"Three weeks ago I accidentally overheard Shane talking to Paul and Stephanie. Shane was angry about Dwayne's attack."

Jeff grinned stopping the man. "Sorry man, but the look on his face was priceless." He waved his hand for him to continue.

"I shouldn't have stayed there, I should have kept on walking but I didn't I stayed and I listened to them." Rob said quieter this time. He averted his eyes and looked down at his cup.

Jeff's grin was quickly gone, there was something about his tone that sent a chill down his spine.

"Rob? Rob what did Shane say?" Jeff urged gently which made Rob turn his attention back to Jeff.

"He's going to take out Dwayne to get Trish." Rob said seriously.

Jeff felt sick. "There's no way that would happen! Trish would never-"

Rob smiled bitterly. "Jeff, you weren't there. Stephanie said more or less the same thing."

Jeff swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat. "What was Shane's reply?" He struggled to keep his voice cool and collected as he waited for the other man's reply.

Rob sighed before staring sadly at Jeff.

"If Trish doesn't agree to go with him, he said he would take her by force."

A.N. I hope that was okay! I meant to post this on Wednesday but I was practically crippled with cramp, the so called 'joys of womanhood' suck! I will post chapter 6 next week.